This is no ordinary wedding. Then again, it’s not an ordinary theater performance, either.

Unsuspecting audience members who walk into the Des Moines Playhouse, 831 42nd St. in Des Moines, may expect to sit back and watch the story of two lovers unfold from the comfort of their seats. But instead, they will walk into Vinnie Black’s Love Chapel and become a part of the show. The price of a ticket will not only include an Italian buffet and champagne to toast the bride and groom, but a personal invite to the wedding of Tony and Tina.

“Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding,” an interactive satire of an Italian wedding, has played successfully in many major cities including Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas and New York — and is in its seventh year at The Playhouse. Brandon Lee, who plays Tony, says audience members are often very surprised at the style of the show.

“My favorite thing is seeing people’s reactions when they come into it and realizing that they are not coming to a normal show. People don’t know what they are getting into,” Lee says. “Everywhere you look, you have a character. From the groomsmen that seat you when you get in the door to the caterers, it’s very ‘in your face.'”

Lee has played the part of Tony for four years, and says he enjoys the freedom this sort of play awards the players.

“I enjoy that there is a lot of control given to the actors,” he says. “It’s never the same — it’s completely different every single night.”

Bobbi Jo Larsen-Dorr has played the part of Tina for two years. She agrees with Lee.

“Every single night is different,” Larsen-Dorr says. “We feed off the audience. If they are in a good mood, or if they aren’t, we make sure that they are by the time they leave.”

Preparation for the show is less intense than would be for a typical show. The wedding is fairly scripted, but the majority of the show is improvisational.

“The unique thing is, there isn’t a lot of rehearsal for it — you play off of each other,” Larsen-Dorr says. “A lot of us have worked with each other in other shows.”

Larsen-Dorr says such camaraderie explains how she and Lee can be so “disgustingly in love.”

“Brandon and I were friends before this, so it was easy to play this part with each other,” she says.

The actors are always in character, even when taking a bathroom break. Audience members can interact with the cast, and Larsen-Dorr says they often ask questions about where Tony and Tina met and how Tony proposed.

“We always work that out before the show — we want every table to know the same story of how we met,” she says.

Larsen-Dorr says Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding brings to life every stereotype available about Italian weddings.

“We are the clean version of ‘The Sopranos,’ Larsen-Dorr says. “Only without the killings and the strippers.”

Who: “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding”

Where: Des Moines Playhouse, 831 42nd St., Des Moines

When: 6:30 p.m., Friday-Sunday, Feb. 20- March 7

Cost: $48 students, $50 public